Apple Retail Stores to Allow Self-Checkout via iOS App for Accessory Purchases

[MacRumors]

MacRumors has learned that Apple is planning to launch an update to its retail store iOS app that will allow consumers to utilize self-checkout for purchases of accessories and other shelf-stocked items at the company's retail stores. According to our source, self-checkout purchases will be charged via the Apple Store app to the customer's iTunes Store account.

It is not entirely clear what will happen once a user has checked out via the app, although store employees will of course be on the lookout for store visitors walking out with merchandise in hand, as they are already. Customers who have made a purchase through self-checkout will be able to show an emailed receipt to any employee, confirming their purchase.

High value products such as Macs, iPhones, and iPods are kept in the stockroom at Apple retail stores, meaning that customers purchasing these items will still require assistance from a store employee. We have, however, been told that customers will be able to pre-purchase these items through the app and simply pick them up with the assistance of a store employee. But for the plethora of accessories, cases, and other items stocked directly on the sales floor at Apple retail stores customers will soon be able to purchase these items without needing to catch the attention of a store employee with an EasyPay device to complete the transaction.

Heylookitseric is reporting similar information, claiming that the update to the Apple Store app enabling self-checkout is scheduled to arrive on November 3rd. The report also notes that Apple will continue to expand its program allowing customers to have their orders from the online Apple store shipped to their local Apple retail stores for pickup. That program launched at the company's three San Francisco stores last Wednesday and is now available at all sixteen stores in the Bay Area with further expansion apparently coming soon.

Finally, Apple is said to be enhancing its online store to allow a single order of multiple items to be routed to different shipping addresses. Rolling out in time for the holiday shopping period, the enhancement will be particularly useful for customers wishing to purchase all of their Apple gift items in a single transaction and have them shipped to different recipients at checkout.

Article Link: Apple Retail Stores to Allow Self-Checkout via iOS App for Accessory Purchases

 

[Small White Car]

I'm not 100% clear on how this will work, but I'm guessing that Apple's probably thought about this longer than I have. So I'm sure that they've figured it all out somehow.

That being said, this is awesome news. I once left an Apple store without buying what I came in for because I was never able to get someone to check me out. After trying for 15 minutes I gave up and ended up buying it online even though they had it right there in the store.

If the Apple stores are going to do away with lines like they have, it's great to see them expand the methods of checking out. Because the current system is only great some of the time.

 

[Inakto]

well, I think this should help ease up on the congestion in the store.
At the one near me, it is always a pain trying to find an available employee to process my purchase lol

 

[pimentoLoaf]

I love the last paragraph, and wish every other online retailer would do the same. It gets tedious hearing how sometimes stuff can't even be shipped from some companies because addresses don't match up between buyer and receiver.

 

[staccato83]

They needed to this for a while now. I have stood around many times waiting to miraculously catch eyes with an employee to no avail.

 

[JS3]

This sounds like it would be a loss prevention nightmare.lol.

 

[mozumder]

This is going to be really weird

Since self-checkout at other stores usually involve cash-register kiosks that an employee can monitor.

It's going to be a nightmare for Apple to monitor self-checkouts that aren't in fixed places, especially with the massive crowds that Apple stores usually have.

 

[arn]

That being said, this is awesome news. I once left an Apple store without buying what I came in for because I was never able to get someone to check me out. After trying for 15 minutes I gave up and ended up buying it online even though they had it right there in the store.

100% agree. You end up having to awkwardly stalk someone by lurking at a socially acceptable distance while they are talking to another customer.

arn

 

[Gillespie81]

i wonder if they are going to add more employees, more positions. I'm just like most of you that its hard enough to get someone to help you how are they gonna monitor the door with people always searching for freed up employees. but like the first person said they have thought about this longer than us.

great idea if it works tho.

 

[koobcamuk]

100% agree. You end up having to awkwardly stalk someone by lurking at a socially acceptable distance while they are talking to another customer.

arn

Erm, go and wait at the til for someone?

 

[arn]

Erm, go and wait at the til for someone?

There is (or was) no til. There's just employees with portable checkout things and a genius bar.

Not sure if things have changed since my experience.

arn

 

[scotty588]

Seems like someone could easily fake an emailed receipt and walk out with something. Especially if they are just taking a quick glance at your phone to verify your purchase.

 

[Small White Car]

Seems like someone could easily fake an emailed receipt and walk out with something. Especially if they are just taking a quick glance at your phone to verify your purchase.

My guess is that there will be someone by the door with an iPad that's getting copies of all those emails. Unless your iPhone email matches their iPad email you won't be getting past.

 

[CBJammin103]

I'm very curious to see how this works out if it turns out to be true. Certainly a different buying experience...

 

[starvingartist8]

Seems like someone could easily fake an emailed receipt and walk out with something. Especially if they are just taking a quick glance at your phone to verify your purchase.

remember apple is ahead of everyone competitor and consumer. They obviously have thought it all out and remember also that this is a rumor site so what you read is not usually what you get.

If Apple do go ahead with this rumor then I am sure they have a safe and easy way of going about it. What you say about the receipts being easily faked is true I used to let people away with murder at a previous place I worked at but I bet Apple is smarter than that for this one.

 

[powerbook911]

There is (or was) no til. There's just employees with portable checkout things and a genius bar.

Not sure if things have changed since my experience.

arn

Same with me. I wanted some iPod socks one day. Kept looking around, never got helped. Of course, if you just want to play on a Mac a few minutes, they find you! ha-ha.

Want to buy an accessory? They can't be found.

Nice idea, but I will be nervous about walking out after paying. ha-ha. I'll be like holding my phone up. It will feel strange. I probably won't ever use this service. haha.

 

[halhiker]

They need to add EPP programs to their Apple Store app. As it is, I have no use for it—or the Apple Store.

 

[anjinha]

i wonder if they are going to add more employees, more positions. I'm just like most of you that its hard enough to get someone to help you how are they gonna monitor the door with people always searching for freed up employees. but like the first person said they have thought about this longer than us.

great idea if it works tho.

I'm wondering about that too but if you think about it it won't be much different than it is now. Currently most Apple Stores don't have checkouts, you just pay with employees via their EasyPay gizmo, you get your receipt emailed to you and they do offer you a bag that you might decline. So you still end up just walking out with an item.

 

[yauzers619]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

A detailed inventory of available stock will be a great byproduct of this checkout system.

Never have to hear "there are more than 7 customers ahead of you" while on the phone waiting to check if you local store has new product in stock.

Never have to drive to the store and to find your product to be our of stock.

 

[Cartaphilus]

Or the email receipt could contain a Quick Response code matrix and an Apple Store employee at the door could just scan the iOS device's screen and the scanner would match the QR with Apple's record of the purchase (which would include the item description).

 

[alphaod]

This sounds pretty good. I often go to the store to pick up something trivial like a power adapter for my iPhone or maybe a memory card reader for my computer and it turns out I spend most of my time waiting for a free Apple sales guy/gal to ring me out.

 

[Abyssgh0st]

There is (or was) no til. There's just employees with portable checkout things and a genius bar.

Not sure if things have changed since my experience.

arn

A few store remodels ago they used to have a "dedicated" register at the end of the Genius Bar (at least for Texas and SoCal stores), but that went away probably 2 years ago. Even then people weren't really sure what the line was for, the line was very long, or the cashier was pre-occupied with another task.

 

[charlituna]

This sounds like it would be a loss prevention nightmare.lol.

Those that will steal will steal. And I'm sure that they will still have LP agents watching for those that aren't faking it, or to randomly ask for a receipt

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i wonder if they are going to add more employees, more positions.

Probably not. They are adding this and the whole orde online to free up employees.

As for the other side of the waiting issue they now have those iPads with the call button and the whole 'get assistance' that has been in the apple store app for ages. Since so many have iPhones these days and the app is free that will cover a lot of the issue

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My guess is that there will be someone by the door with an iPad that's getting copies of all those emails. Unless your iPhone email matches their iPad email you won't be getting past.

Or not. Remember this is the company that doesn't tag products or have beeping alarms at the doors.

They are working off an attitude of trust which is impressive for a retail company. And the things that anyone could walk out with probably don't cost that much to them anyway. After all, they aren't putting iPods and such were you can grab them. This is phone cases etc

 

[mdaniels]

Bagging Your Purchase

I'm not 100% clear on how this will work, but I'm guessing that Apple's probably thought about this longer than I have. So I'm sure that they've figured it all out somehow.

That being said, this is awesome news. I once left an Apple store without buying what I came in for because I was never able to get someone to check me out. After trying for 15 minutes I gave up and ended up buying it online even though they had it right there in the store.

If the Apple stores are going to do away with lines like they have, it's great to see them expand the methods of checking out. Because the current system is only great some of the time.

But self-checkout will deprive you of one of those spiffy white Apple bags.

 

[teggs]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/9A334)

Alot of shops in UK are currently doing £25 itunes vouchers for £20. Does this mean i could buy £1000 worth of itunes vouchers for £800 and buy the base imac currently at £999 on apple store app?